Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears recently published Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe covering basic Christian theology. In chapter 10, they outline a biblical understanding of The Church. We want our pastors to have theological clarity regarding their ecclesiology.
What is the Church?
A stark difference exists between the picture of the church painted in Scripture (Acts 2) and the perception of most today. In the book of Acts, we see a generous, united and loving society. Today when hearing the term “church,” many mistakenly think of a building at best, and a mob of angry, political, divisive, judgmental hypocrites at worst.
The (local) church is biblically defined as follows:
The local church is a community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus Christ as ...
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By Mark Driscoll
Two sides exist with every spiritual discipline. A Pastor’s healthy relationship with God involves both being and doing. On one hand, there is a contemplative practice, and on the other, a corresponding active practice.
Subsequently, anyone who practices one aspect of a spiritual discipline without the other becomes increasingly immature and imbalanced in his or her walk with Jesus.
This is true for the two disciplines of Solitude and Fellowship. German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote,
“Only in fellowship do we learn to be rightly alone and only in aloneness do we learn to be rightly in fellowship.”
Solitude
Solitude is fasting from people for a prescribed time to connect with God and replenish the soul. Solitude is not a punishment like that ...
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One thing we have never done at Mars Hill Church is take a special offering. However, that will change this Sunday when we take a second offering for the mission of Churches Helping Churches in Haiti.
Many pastors have been contacting us, saying that they too want to take a special offering this Sunday. We rejoice in your willingness to help those who are suffering so greatly. I would like to specifically invite my brothers in Acts 29 and our pastor friends at The Resurgence to do the same.
For those of you who, like us at Mars Hill, have not ever taken a special offering, the following tips were coaching points Pastor James MacDonald gave me on our return flight from Haiti.
Why You Should Take a Special Offering
It is biblical. Galatians 6:10 says, ...
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Churches go through critical seasons of their life that largely determine both their longevity and health. Seeing, accepting, and navigating these seasons is incredibly important for the ongoing forward progress of the gospel.
Gestation
In this phase, God calls a leader (or leaders) to begin a new church and begins to clarify the specifics of their vision. An initial core of people is gathered, a meeting location is secured, some ministries begin to form, and funding is acquired.
Birth
In this season, the church goes from being a concept to a reality and opens itself up to invite in the greater community and focuses its attention on evangelism, growth, and implementation of new systems and leaders.
Infancy
In this season, the attendance settles into a ...
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By Mark Driscoll
The final installment of a 4-part series. The entire article is available in PDF form here.
18. Cleanliness
Very simply, is the location clean? Will people be comfortable in the restrooms? Will people be comfortable if they have small children crawling on the floor? If the overall atmosphere is not generally clean and adequately maintained, a statement is being made about your congregation.
19. Accessibility
How difficult it the facility to find? Is it near a known landmark, in a known neighborhood, and/or accessible to the freeway and major arterials? If not, it may be cumbersome and difficult for people to find you and thereby inhibit your growth.
20. Signage
Is there any opportunity for you to either temporarily or permanently place signs on ...
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